New York’s licensed cannabis dispensaries found to be operating too close to schools won’t be forced to close, the state’s marijuana regulators said this week.
Instead, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats in the state Legislature will amend New York’s cannabis laws to accommodate the state’s mistake in approving the sites, according to the Albany Times Union.
“I have had conversations with dozens of legislators in the last few days and am heartened by their resounding support for legislative redress,” wrote Felicia A.B. Reid, acting executive director of the state Office of Cannabis Management.
License applicants who have yet to be approved won’t be held to the stricter standards, which require retail dispensaries to be at least 500 feet away from a school.
The OCM previously interpreted the 500-foot mark as the distance from the front door of a school, but it should have been measured from the nearest property line.
The dispute affects 108 open shops and 44 whose operators applied before the distance discrepancy was discovered.
Most of the dispensaries are in New York City, where more than 1,800 schools operate.
According to the OCM, 89 dispensaries were too close to the schools under the previous rule and 38 pending applicants had locations too close.
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